Global Courant 2023-05-12 09:17:37
Ottawa’s decision not to include an image of Terry Fox in Canada’s redesigned passport has been met with disappointment by some in his hometown of Port Coquitlam, BC.
An image of Fox on his Marathon of Hope is one of many historical images in the pages of the current passport. The new passport shows animals and natural scenes, such as children jumping into a lake.
Brad West, mayor of Port Coquitlam – about 30 kilometers east of Vancouver – took to Twitter to voice his dismay at the change.
“Whoever made the decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports should shake his head,” West wrote. “Our country needs more Terry Fox, not less.”
I’m the mayor of Terry Fox’s hometown. Whoever made the decision to remove Terry Fox from Canadian passports should shake their head. Our country needs more Terry Fox, not less. pic.twitter.com/1sHKHlRrUb
Citizenship Secretary Sean Fraser said the new design is the product of 10 years of deliberation. A complete change of theme was necessary to improve the security of the passport.
“It makes it much harder to counterfeit,” Fraser said.
Dave Teixeira, co-ordinator of the Terry Fox Hometown Run in Port Coquitlam, says he is disappointed to hear that Fox’s picture will not appear in the new passports.
“Removing those images instead of very generic stock photos is actually kind of a nod to what’s important to them — convenience and function as opposed to honoring Terry,” Teixeira said.
Terry Fox on his run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He did not complete the run and died in a Vancouver hospital in 1981. (The Canadian Press)
After losing a leg to osteosarcoma, Fox began his Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980 to raise money for cancer research.
His dream of running across the country was cut short near Thunder Bay, Ontario, when he learned that cancer had spread to his lungs. He died on June 28, 1981.
Volunteers have kept Fox’s legacy alive by organizing annual runs to raise money for cancer.
The current passport also includes historical images of the Fathers of Confederation, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, and the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
‘A missed opportunity’
Conservative leader Pierre Poilièvre denounced the new drafts in the House of Commons on Wednesday, accusing the Liberals of trying to erase vital Canadian history.
The Royal Canadian Legion also expressed disappointment that depictions of the Vimy memorial do not appear in the new design.
“Removing that image in the context of a design change and without knowing the rationale was, to put it bluntly, a bad decision,” the Legion said in a statement.
Teixeira describes the new passport as “a missed opportunity”.
“Terry not being in a passport document may not be important in itself. I think what matters is how our country wants to represent our heroes at our key moments in our history.”
LOOK | Pictures of Terry Fox, Vimy memorial scratched from new Canadian passports:
This is what your next passport will look like
Citizens and Immigration Minister Sean Fraser unveiled the look of Canada’s new passports, which include new images and security features.
